Belgium Visa Policy

Visa policy for Belgium

This visa policy is a set of regulations and requirements for foreign citizens who want to travel to Belgium, shared with all the other countries in the Schengen passport-free zone.

If a passport holder belongs to a country in the Schengen Area, they are granted freedom of movement to Belgium by presenting a valid National ID card at border checkpoints.

Other visa-free travelers can enter Belgium using only a valid passport, as long as the stay does not exceed 90 days, for purposes such as tourism, transit, and business.

However, from 2023, the members of the Schengen Area will introduce a new visa policy whereby any foreign citizen who does not require a visa must pre-register for an ETIAS electronic authorization in advance.

This will be a mandatory requirement for short stays for the purposes listed above for all visa waiver travelers.

Belgian visa laws state that visa-exempt citizens who wish to stay for a longer period of time, or for other purposes, must apply for an embassy visa through a government diplomatic office of Belgium.

Applicants must specify the type of visa they want when filling out the visa application form, as a Belgian embassy offers numerous visa options. This may be either a tourist visa, business visa, work visa, student visa, or a visa for transit, among others.

An embassy visa for Belgium may be issued as a single or multiple entry document, depending on purpose of travel and period of stay. However, over 150 nationalities must apply for a consular visa no matter the length of the trip.

Below you can find a complete list of visa requirements to travel to Belgium from your country.

Tourist Visa Policy for Belgium

Foreign nationals who wish to visit Belgium for tourist reasons should be aware that nationals of some countries can travel for tourism without a visa, while others must obtain an embassy visa for Belgium in advance.

According to the Belgian visa policy, roughly 90 countries can currently visit the country for tourism purposes without a visa, many of which belong to the Schengen Area.

However, by November of 2023, all visa-exempt citizens from outside the Schengen Area will be required to pre-register for an ETIAS travel authorization to travel to Belgium for short tourist stays.

This online visa waiver is a multiple entry authorization being implemented to enhance the security of Schengen external borders, and will permit multiple short stays of up to 90 days each in Belgium for tourism.

The Belgian visa policy indicates that citizens of 150 other countries must obtain a tourist visa at an embassy or consulate of Belgium in advance. This involves making a consular appointment at an overseas diplomatic mission several weeks before travel to allow for sufficient processing time.

Please see below for more information about tourist visa requirements for your nationality..

ETIAS for Belgium

By November of 2023, the online visa waiver for Belgium (ETIAS) will be introduced and become a mandatory requirement for all visa-exempt citizens to travel to the country for short stays.

ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System. This electronic visa waiver system is being introduced to further enhance border protection of the Schengen Area, by pre-screening all applicants against the security database managed by EU-LISA.

An approved Belgian ETIAS is a multiple entry travel authorization that will grant entry to all of the 26 European states in the Schengen Area during its validity.

The holder of an approved ETIAS for Belgium may travel to any Schengen country for a total stay of 90 days per entry, for purposes of tourism, transit, business, or medical treatment.

The authorization will be valid for 3 years from issue, or until the associated passport expires.

To obtain an ETIAS visa waiver for Belgium, eligible citizens will need to have a passport with a minimum validity of 3 months from the expected date of arrival in the Schengen zone.

Those who meet this requirement will be able to complete a simple online application to receive an approved ETIAS authorization electronically linked to their passport.

When applying for ETIAS Belgium, it is necessary to fill in the online form with basic biographic data, answer a few security questions, and pay an ETIAS application fee. It will also be necessary to indicate the intended first-entry Schengen member country on the form, whether Belgium or another Schengen country.

Once the authorization has been approved, a copy will also be sent directly to the applicant’s email address, which the traveler is advised to print to present when boarding their transportation to Belgium.

The vast majority of ETIAS applications are expected to be processed and approved within minutes. However, applicants are advised to apply at least a few business days in advance of the intended travel date to allow for sufficient processing time in case of any delays.

You can check the ETIAS eligible countries below.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required

Citizens of more than 150 territories around the world must obtain a Schengen visa for Belgium in advance, regardless of the purpose and length of travel.

To do so, the traveler must make an appointment at the nearest Belgian diplomatic government office (either an embassy or consulate) for a visa interview.

Schengen visa requirements for Belgium also stipulate that the applicant must fill out an application form with personal and passport data to bring along to the consular appointment.

When completing the application, it is necessary to indicate which type of Belgian Schengen visa the visitor requires, as a number of visa options are available from an embassy. These include tourist visas, work visas, study visas, and resident visas, among other types.

A range of varying supporting documentation will need to be brought to the embassy depending on the type of Belgian visa needed. A consular visa fee must also be paid before the visa can be approved.

Applicants are advised to make an embassy appointment at least 2 to 3 weeks before the intended travel to ensure that there is sufficient processing time for a visa approval to be issued.

Below you can find a comprehensive list of all nationalities required to apply for a Schengen embassy visa for Belgium.

Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Algeria
American Samoa
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Armenia
Aruba
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire
Botswana
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Christmas Island
Cocos Islands
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Cuba
Curacao
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Isle of Man
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Maldives
Mali
Martinique
Mauritania
Mayotte
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
New Caledonia
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian Territory
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Helena
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Swaziland
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Uganda
United States Virgin Islands
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Get Embassy Info

Visa Not Required

There are currently roughly 90 countries that can enter Belgium exempt from a visa, according to the country’s visa policy.

All citizens of the 26 member states of the Schengen Area can enter Belgium without a passport for indefinite periods of stay for any purpose, simply by presenting a valid ID card at a Belgian immigration checkpoint.

Travelers from all other countries that have reached an agreement with Belgium for visa-free stays are required to have a valid passport to enter the country. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months from the intended date of entry.

These visa-exempt citizens are permitted a maximum visit of 90 days per entry, within every 180-day period, for purposes of tourism, business, medical treatment, or transit.

From 2023, however, these same passport holders will be required to have an approved ETIAS travel authorization to travel to Belgium for the same periods of stay and travel purposes. Please see above for more information about this online visa waiver.

If these citizens want to come to Belgium for long-term stays or other purposes, they must apply for a Schengen visa at a Belgian overseas government office.

Find below a complete list of countries that can travel to Belgium without a visa.